Saturday, November 15, 2014

A few days ago, one of my bee buddies from the Stash Fabulous Bee wrote and asked me if I'd like to take part in the Around the World Blog Hop, an ongoing chain of blog posts that has certainly gone around the world several times and then some since they started popping up a good while ago. They are fun to read, and it's a good way to meet people and reflect.

I am finishing up a swap project and thinking about what to make for
Ali Burdon's Winter Sparkle ATC Swap. And I am moving house, so another
ongoing project is cutting out pieces for the stuff I sew "on the other
side." We'll be moving
the sewing room last, so I am really trying to get everything organized
before I get discombobulated.

How does my work differ from others?

I think my work has a feeling of place, and specifically of being in Sweden, with its very special light. I am often affected by the
weather and the light as far as what palette I use, and I like to mix
fabric genres together, like contemporary prints with one or two civil
war prints. I am interested in the trends, but I like to look back in
time too. While I think I have a definite style, I am not very
concerned with being labelled modern or traditional. I like to think
that my fabric choices are a specially curated scrap bag. I would never
try to emulate one period of time, but perhaps mix fabric styles in a
way that someone who had a lifetime of scraps might do, based on color,
scale and balance rather than a precise theme.

.

Why
do you write/create what you do?

I love to sew because I learned it at
my mother's elbow. I watched her for hours when she sewed potholder
blanks for our family business, and while she appliqued onto the
potholders, and then sewed names on free-hand. I love colors and form. I
started out painting and making collage, but there is something about
planning out a quilt and figuring out the materials that really does it
for me. And I love the online community for collaborating and
learning. That is why I do so many swaps and bees. As for what I get
out of it, it is both relaxing and challenging, and it makes the hours
fly the same way music does.

How does your creative process work?

I
often have several projects going at once, if not started at the same
time. I usually do a preliminary fabric pull, then let it percolate for
a few days. I get inspiration from looking at other blogs and Pinterest, and I am also in a Flickr group that takes pictures with
certain colors every day. (although I have lapsed while moving the last
week or so.) I find that taking photos gives me a new point of view,
and it affects the way I sew too. I guess photography is the spontaneous side of me and quilting calls for more planning. But I
need one for the other. Also, travel and walking really give me fresh
ideas when it comes to the use of color. I love to look at the forest,
with its moss and broken tree stumps and then draw a picture later of
all the spaces between as a quilt design.

If you'd like to hop along to some other blogs, why not check out Nina With Freckles, a very energetic gal who lives and quilts and crafts in Helsinki, Finland!

And how about Nina at BossyOz, A Swedish gal who quilts in England (she's the one who sent me those fabulous mini quilts I showed in the last post ;)

The two Ninas are in a new quilt bee with me called Scandibee, with quilters mostly located in or from Scandinavia. We are all really excited because it is the most local many of us have sewn together, and it's a chance to get to know people we've seen on Flickr and Instagram for a good while.

Friday, November 14, 2014

The above are pics of the mini quilt I sent to Nina of Tubbycrafts, in Germany, way back in July. I took one block from Jen Kingwell's Green Tea and Sweet Beans pattern and I added a churn dash around the outside. Lovely to see a bit of summer right now, when it is getting so dark outside! I also sent her a little sewing kit, of a pincushion, scissor fob and needlebook, using the same fabrics. These were part of the second Schnitzel and Boo Mini Quilt Swap.

And then, I received a lovely package from Nina in England. She sent me these sweet hedgie and mail minis, and a really cool Totoro window decal! I love Totoro....

I love how she made an extra envelope for the quilt label!

And another little surprise were these old fashioned sewing labels, that say Merry Christmas (God Jul) in Swedish. You see, Nina is a Swede living in England, that was a really cool surprise. I just love it when secret swaps turn out that way! Christmas is coming soon enough but I don't know if I dare use them yet!

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Hi Gals, have you seen the Palette Builder over at Play Crafts blog? I've been trying it out a few times, and it is really fun! You take a picture of yours, and upload it into the program, and then a palette is generated for you, complete with optional Kona Colors and Auriful Colors. We are going to be moving soon and I've been looking at winter pictures from living in the country here.

Take a look:

This is the original picture mosaic.....

...and here it is using the Palette Builder 2.1 with added color matches. Fun, eh?

I don't really know where to start to try to catch up with all I've been up to here. I've been under the weather for awhile, and then I wasn't. It is always a hump from the end of summer to fall, and then fall flies away on me!

I even started and finished a quilt for us this summer. I had fun adding a secret message to the quilting. Nobody has found it yet, but I think they know!

We'll be moving from the countryside to town in the next few weeks. I am stocking up on forest and mountain views, birdsong, and thinking back to the snowy times we've spent here. I'm also really looking forward to living in town, being able to buy vegetables every day, and take walks and bike rides along the Great Lake (Storsjön) on the special trails they have winding all the way through. It's just 35 Km (22 miles) away, but it will still be a change. Now that the decision has landed, I'll try to keep you posted!

Follow me on Bloglovin'

Follow with Feedly

Follow by Email

Follow Me

About Me

I'm an American living in Sweden. I love sewing and quilting, and anything fabric-related, except for mending knees! I love to take pictures, especially of nature, barns, and quilts. Winters are dark here, so Swedish Scrapper is a blend of all I can scrape together to make the days pretty for my family and me. It's a humble contribution, but making things lovely is really what makes me tick!